When discussing modern folk music, there are several individual performers and groups that consistently come to mind…. and one of those is Gordon Lightfoot. With his distinctive baritone voice and classic 12 string acoustic guitar, Gordon has been delighting fans of his music for over five decades. He is nothing short of a legend in the folk-rock genre. At 76 years old, Gordon still tours extensively… to the delight of his fans worldwide. In recent years he has overcome an aortic aneurism and even a stroke to keep returning to the stages and the audiences that he loves. His most recent tour “50 Years on the Carefree Highway” began in 2013 and is still going strong. One of its recent stops was the Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore, Maryland… and I didn’t miss the chance to hear him play.

There was no opening act. Gordon took the stage on time with his band, including an additional guitarist, bass player, drummer, and keyboardist, and began an approximately 2 hour set with a 15-20 minute intermission. He played most of his classics including: “Sundown”, “Carefree Highway”, “Rainy Day People”, “If You Could Read My Mind”, and of course… “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. Gordon has a reputation for changing his set around every night… and with over 250 original songs to his name… he certainly has the material to do it! Twenty-six songs were played in all.

The entire show had a very laid back atmosphere with Gordon telling brief and frequently humorous stories to the audience between the songs. For a folk concert, the audience was very energetic with multiple standing ovations and frequent loud cheers and shouts. It was very evident throughout the show that Gordon still really loves what he does, and he left us with no doubt that he will continue to entertain audiences for as long as he is able. His voice is not a deep as it once was, but the classic Lightfoot voice and phrasing is still there. He told us he was recovering from pneumonia and he did stop at least four times to catch his breath… but always between the songs… never during them. Gordon has a very gaunt appearance these days, and he moves slowly around the stage, holding on to things as he goes… but age has not diminished his ability to entertain.

It was a wonderful evening of music that brought back a lot of memories of my time growing up in the 60s and 70s. The performance confirmed why his status as a musical legend is well deserved. I hope he will continue to entertain us for years to come!